Golf players are continuously searching for better equipment with the ultimate goal of using that equipment to improve their game by lowering their score. However, because the mechanics of swinging a golf club are complicated, there is significant room for error. In order for a golfer to improve their swing, they must be able to swing a club consistently in an appropriate manner. Often, golfers need the assistance of a coach in order to attain a consistent swing that strikes the golf ball in a desirable manner. The human eye, however, has its limits. In order to provide more information to golfers, golf equipment manufacturers have invented ball monitoring devices, commonly referred to as “launch monitors.” Launch monitors are capable of providing golfers with a more detailed swing analysis than is capable with the naked eye. A launch monitor is capable of monitoring the motion of both golf clubs and golf balls shortly before, during, and after impact. By monitoring the golf ball shortly before and after impact, launch monitors are able to approximate the trajectory and other kinematic characteristics of the golf ball, such as its spin, launch angle, and velocity.
Launch monitors typically include one or two cameras that are capable of acquiring images of the ball, club, or both simultaneously. In order to more accurately calculate the kinematic characteristics of the golf ball, each golf club and/or ball has several markers placed on its surface. The markers are typically placed such that they are all visible to the one or more cameras. Once the images are acquired, the change in position of the markers may be analyzed in order to determine desired club and/or ball characteristics. The calculation of these characteristics is typically based on mathematical algorithms, which include several unknown variables.
A continuing need exists for a method and apparatus that is capable of reducing the number of unknown variables involved in the calculation of the kinematic characteristics of a golf ball during flight. Accordingly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus that is capable of reducing the number of unknown variables in order to provide more accurate information about the flight of a golf ball.